Johnson Eyes Place On US Roster

Chicago Fire goalie Sean Johnson was named to the US national team’s January training camp roster on Tuesday.

The call-up is the first senior national team invite for the 21-year-old keeper, who will compete with goalkeepers Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Matt Pickens (Colorado) and Dominic Cervi (Celtic) for a spot on Bob Bradley’s roster for the Jan. 22 friendly against Chile at the Home Depot Center.

“I’m definitely excited,” Johnson told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s always been a dream of mine to represent my country at the highest level and once I got word about the invite to the camp – I can’t even express how I felt at first. I think it’s a great opportunity and I’m excited to get into the camp and get things going.”

A fourth round selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Johnson appeared in 14 league games after debuting at LA on Aug. 1. He played well in his rookie season, twice earning MLS Save of the Week honors.

“I plan on working really hard in camp,” he said. “Making the roster for the Chile game is definitely a goal of mine.”

Along with fellow camp invites Brek Shea and Mikkel Diskerud, Johnson was a part of the US U-20 squad that participated in the 2009 U-20 World Cup in Egypt. The Generation adidas player didn’t feature in the tournament, which saw the Americans get knocked out in the group stage.

Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.